Modi's Bhutan visit first step to reassert regional sway

June 15, 2014 4:32 AM

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THIMPHU (Reuters) - Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins on Sunday his first visit abroad since taking office, arriving in Bhutan to launch a drive to reassert Indian influence in the region, offering financial and technical help and the lure of a huge market.

The tiny Buddhist nation, wedged in the Himalayas between India and China, is the closest India has to an ally in South Asia, a region of bristling rivalry where China is making inroads.